He inoa no Lili'uokalani...*

The world works in mysterious ways.

The place where I get lunch most days has its stereo tuned to a classical music radio station. Yesterday, as I was putting together my salad, I hear the DJ talking about the music of Hawaii - apparently, that was a theme yesterday - which seemed odd, because who's ever heard Hawaiian music on a classical station?

And then the DJ said the next selection was an orchestral version of something composed by Queen Lili'uokalani. She was Hawaii's last monarch, the one overthrown by some American businessmen in another delightful chapter of our nation's history. She was also a prolific composer - "Aloha Oe" is probably her most famous song. She is beloved and revered in Hawaii.

She's also the subject of the special dance I'm doing in this weekend's hula performances, which is why hearing that on the radio stopped me in my tracks and gave me goosebumps.

I hope to do her proud.

* that means "in the name of..." and it's what we say at the end of the dance.